where do we go from here 2: unanswerd questions
by zantha19
Summary: Zuko with the help of Toph is searching for his mother.Toph finaly gets her life changing field trip, and it dose change the way she sees her life and her past. no shipping. this is now a rewrite.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey. This is part two of the fifth teen part story, that I have writen and am now rewitreing to fix the spelling and just make the story better. So I hope you enjoy it. **

It was just after sun set, the gentle spring breeze filled the room. The window in the cell was so small, that it seemed a lot later. The cell always seemed to be in a permanent state of darkness.

"I'll ask you one more time before I go, where is my mother" Zuko had been in the cell for most of the day, He had been there almost every day, From the day he came back to the fire nation. To him this was the last thing he had to do, before he could move on properly. He had been there with Katara when she had finally been able to move on from the pain of losing her mother, he knew what a difference it could make.

"Why would I tell you that" this was the first Ozai had said in over a week. As tired as Zuko was, this gave him a sudden burst of adrenaline. He got up from the chair he had been sitting in, and Made his way to the bars of the cell, holding onto the bars for support. It was to dark to see his father clearly, but he could make out where his face should be. He kept his gaze on this spot, trying to look him in the eyes to show him how serious he was about this. He was not going to let this go till he found out what has happened.

"Just tell me" he was putting all of his concentration into keeping his heart rate normal, and to keep breathing.

"After what you did to your sister, I will tell you nothing"

As his heart rate snake so did his body as he loosened his grip on the bars of the cell, and stepped back, Turned and started to walk towards the door. He could feel his father's eyes burning on his back, and could imagine the grin that was surly on his face. It took all of his control not to unleash a wall of flames, that would fill the small cell, What good would that do.

"I do so enjoy our little chats, please come back soon"

As his fathers smug voice washed over him, so did a feeling of failure. There was no way his father was ever going to tell him what happened, if she was ok, and if she was then, where she was. He was enjoying having this power over him. it was the only power he felt that he had left, and he was not going to let it go anytime soon.

Zuko had changed in the time he had been back in the fire nation. He seemed to have the world on his shoulders. No matter how Mai tried to tell him, he didn't have to push himself so hard he just didn't listen. Things were meant to be so much simpler now, so why were they still so messed up and complicated.

Once he had got control of his breathing again, and showed his father by staying calm that he hadn't got to him., he left the cell, slamming the door behind him. The walls around the door shock with the shear force of the slamming.

"You nearly lost it" that was all she said. Didn't tell him to calm down, or cheer him up, ask him if he had come close to losing it. She just knew. That was why he had asked for her help.

Zuko hadn't expected her to be this close to the cell door, her normal place was at the end of the corridor, at the door that lead out into the court lard. She was leaning on the wall right next to the door, with her arms crossed in front of her.

Toph had changed since the gang split up in Ba Sing Sa too. She had learned that her ability to read a person came in very handy, when you where trying to deal with a punch of earth kingdom nobles. Who never said what they where thinking. They said one think, but meant another. She had also learned that she could hide her own feeling too, more than she used to. Her father would be so proud.

Her voice had taken him by surprise, it had also pulled him out of his own head. There were a million things going around there now, he was grateful to be pulled out of it. He still worried about what she was going to saw thou.

He didn't have to ask her for the information he wanted. He had learned to let her give that in her own time. There was normally a reason why she didn't give him any information right away, There wasn't anything to tell, or there was but she didn't what to tell him because she didn't know how he was going to react.

"Sort of truth" this had become code, for he is telling the truth but not the whole truth. He was most likely holding something back.

They made their way along the long narrow corridor in silence. Zuko opened the door, holding it for Toph to walk through. Even though the sun was only visible in the horizon, and gave off only a faint glow it still hurt Zuko's eyes. He had been in the artificial night of the cell for hours, so it wasn't much of a surprise. It had no affect on Toph at all, of course. She lead the way back to the palace.

As they walked through the court lard, Toph took the chance to ask the question she had wanted to ask, Form the first time she had stood at the end of the corridor, listening to the father and sons conversation, and focusing on Ozai's heart rate to see if he was lying or not.

"Why don't you tell him the truth"

"That is not an option" he didn't mean to snap at her, but he found himself stopping in his tracks, with his hand holding her by the arm to stop her too. he had wanted to avoid having this conversation with Toph. Because he knew how stubborn she was, he also felt guilty about getting her involved in his family drama. Every time anyone got involved in his family it never went well. He let go of her arm, so fast, like she was fire and he would get burned, when in fact it was the other way round. He felt like she was going to get hurt if she stayed here any longer. Sokka was right, you get close to him, you get burnt. He did that to her once he didn't want to do that again. He started to walk to getaway from her.

"Don't you dare walk away from me" Toph true to her element stayed rooted to the spot. She was waiting for him to stop and talk to her, like she knew he would.

" thank you for your help, I appreciated it, but I am not going to tell him what happened. It is to dangerous for…."

"coward" Zuko hadn't turned round to face Toph as he spoke. What she said got to him, like she knew it would. He was meant to get angry, let out how he was really feeling, what was on his mind. He was not going to fall for that.

He did now turn and face her "Katara almost got killed when she got caught up in my families mess, so did Mai and Ty lee….."

" coward" for one of the rare occasions in her life Toph made eye contact with someone, as she simply repeated herself. He was still holding back, that was just an excuse "They were involved because they care about you, and wanted to help you. I want to help you now, so just stop being so stubborn. That is my job" she couldn't help smile a little, as she tried to lighten mood.

Zuko was touched by Toph's words, she still didn't open up completely, but she had in a way admitted that she wanted to help him and that was due to the fact that she cared about him. Unfortunately her words didn't have the affect she had intended, they made him want to keep her safe more than before.

"If he know there was someone else he could blame for what happened to Azula then…." he was stopped for the third time that day, by a short sharp sentence. That went straight to the point.

"He is not going to hurt me. He can't" she was so sure, he envied her conviction.

"I get you have the whole big brother protective thing, But I don't need it. You are the one how needs help"

"And I appreciate it, but please let me do this my way"

Toph felt let down, like when she first joined the gang. She was doing what she could to help them, but they just didn't listen to her. The last thing she had ever thought that Zuko was, was a coward, but now that was the only thing she could think of to describe the way he was acting.

"I'm going to bed" she walked away, with her arms crossed, and her disappointed tone left hanging in the air.

Zuko was left alone, trying to decide what his next step was going to be. He hated that Toph was mad at him. She had been the first person apart from Iroh to believe in him. He had repaid that belief by proving her wrong, hurting her, and let she never gave up on him.

He had used her special abilities as an excuse to ask for her help, in truth even if she wasn't a living lie detector he would still have asked for her help, because she was the only person he knew that let him trust him to make the right choice. Maybe he was wrong about at that, or maybe he was wrong in his actions.

**There are a few things that I only alluded to in this chapter, like what has happened to Azula, and how Toph was involved. These things will be explained in the next few chapters. **

**Ok at the end of each chapter, like with the last part I will ask a few questions. I will just say that the first 11 reviews are from the first time I posted this story, so please don't think that other people are review so you don't feel that there is no need for you to. I would to hear any feedback good or back, and an ideas you think would be good for the story. **

**One. If you haven't read this story the first time it was posted, then what do you think could have happened to Azula, and how what part did Toph have to play in it**

**Two. Was Toph too harsh with Zuko. **

**Three. Is Zuko's chain of thought clear, dose it make sense. **


	2. Chapter 2

The sun had set, the only light now was from the moon, and few stars. Not that it made any difference to Toph. But it did help here get about with out being noticed. She was going back to the cells. She had to do something to put an end to this, for good.

She had waited in her room till she was sure that Zuko had gone to sleep. His room was above hers and Iroh's was along the corridor from Zuko's so she didn't have to try very hard to read their hearts rates.

Since the previous summer, Toph had changed. She now wore her hair down. It was almost as long as Katara's. She no longer wore the headband instead she had turned what was the meteor bracelet into a headband that had a second part that came over her forehead, Most of this part was hiding underneath her bangs. There were also two brads that started above her ears and tied together as the back of her head.

She had also slightly changed her travelling clothes. Instead of a green top she know wore a white one with shorter sleeves. The rest of the outfit was the same. Except she no longer had the belt, instead she had a long green ribbon that she tied around her waist rather than her hips. This made the whole then flow more, it also made her seem taller and older. Toph hadn't thought about the changes she made they just happened naturally.

Once she had crossed the court lard under the cover of night, she reached the door to the cells. she took off the meteor headband and turned it into a key. Leaving the door open a little she made her way along the corridor without making any sound. She reached the door she was aiming of.

For a second she stopped, to gather her breath. She felt that she was doing the right thing, but she did feel guilty about going behind Zuko's back. The way she justified it to her, and would to him if she had to, was that she still owed him for burning her feet, this was pay back. Quickly so that she didn't have a chance to turn back, she unlocked the doorit with the meteor key.

"Sorry did I wake your beauty sleep" she had slammed the door behind her, to make sure he was awake. If she was going to try more than normal to keep her cool, act like she didn't care. A large part of her wanted to beat the pathetic figure on the other side of the bars, till he told her want she wanted to know, then kill him. She still couldn't understand how Aang had been able to let him live. Was he stronger than her, or was it being weak, she still didn't have an answer. She hoped that she would never have to be in a situation were she would have to find out.

" a petty young lady, I'm honoured. Tell me have I had the pleasure of seeing your lovely face before" Ozai asked, as he lifted himself up, and moved closer towards the bars. His words made Toph want to bend the ground under him up, till it hit the ceiling. Crushing him.

Toph pulled Zuko's chair closer to the bars and sat down "you tell me"

"Ah yes, the avatars earthbending sifu. I have heard a lot about you. Know I see you I realise, it must have been greatly over exaggerated"

"Believe me it wasn't" she knew he was just trying to get her to lose her temper, and she wasn't going to mess up her only chance to talk to him.

"I can read you like a book. You are punishing Zuko for something you think he did" sliding forward, her face fell into pool of light from the moon "But you know what, your wrong. What happened to Azula wasn't his fault. It was mine" Toph felt his heart rate get faster. His blood pressure boil, if he still had his bending he would have exploded by now. Toph leaned back into the chair, getting ready to continue.

" She got away, a few days after the end of the war. Zuko and Aang went after her. The rest of us stayed here, waiting for them to come back, so we could go to Ba Sing Sa. After two days they weren't back, so we went after them. They had made it very close to the coast, we think she was planning on going to the earth kingdom. Zuko and Aang must have chased her into a mountain, that had all these tunnels. There must have been a fight, cause the structure of the mountain was about to collapse in on it's self. I stayed outside with Appa, so I could keep the whole thing from falling down on us" Toph stopped, the next part was going to be the hard part, for her to have to think about again, and to say and for him to hear.

"I felt everyone come out except Aang, and Azula, so I went in after them. I found him lying unconscious, under some rubble. The whole mountain was going to come down, so I used all the dust gravel I could get a created a shield around use, there wasn't anytime for me to try and move him while I looked for Azula" she felt she had to make this point, and she didn't know why. Why should she feel the end to justify herself to this man, and why should she have to justify her choice about saving a friend, over someone that tried to kill her and her friends time after time "Then I felt some thing move, it was Azula. I put out my hand to help her but she wouldn't take it. Then the whole thing came down"

She wasn't going to tell him any more. She wasn't going to tell him, that she was sure that as the mountain crumbled around them, Azula had a smile on her face, because she knew that not being able to help her, the sister of a friend was going to stay with her for a long time, the guilt. She would look at it as winning the battle, but losing the war. Toph was also not going to tell him, about holding Aang in her arms, feeling his heart rate slow down as the shield of earth that was circling round them lowered to the ground.

She was defiantly not going to tell him about how her breath had caught in her throat as she lay Aang's head on a rock, she was waiting for the other to get there, for Katara to get there to do her healing thing. Mainly she was holding her breath, waiting for Aang to open his eyes or move. Once she felt his eyes flicker a little, she knew he would be ok, and allowed herself to finally stop. As Aang's eyes opened again hers closed, as she few the meaning few inches to the earth. No she was defiantly going to tell him that.

Ozai didn't say anything. Toph didn't like telling him this but she thought, hoped that if he knew what really happened. He might be more willing to tell Zuko what he knew about his mother.

"I can see now the stories weren't over exaggerated"

She for the first time in her life was at a loss for words.

"I looked for her, but I dint find her. I don't believe that she is dead" she didn't know why she was trying to comfort him, all she could see at this moment was a father who might have lost a daughter. She wondered if her father had been like this when she left.

"You can still bring your family back. Just tell Zuko what you know. Don't punish him any more. He really doesn't deserve it"

"You are so young. With so much to learn, I wish I could she your face when you learn the truth" Toph couldn't tell, but ?Ozai was looking at her with a look pf hate, and a dawning realisation had just hit him.

"Your lying"

She got up to leave. The second she was on her feet Ozai was on his too. He made for the bars reached through them to try and grab Toph by the throat, as she moved to stand and her head came closer to the bars. His hand meet with a small wall of dust, sand and coal. following the trail you could see that it had came from the pouch that Toph had tied to the ribbon on her waist. She had began to use this as a way of being able to fight in hand to hand combat. She bent the powder in her hands, and blocked any coming attack with the stream of powder that fowled her hand.

For the smallest of moments their eyes meet, and Ozai slumped to the corner, And Toph made her way out of the cell and back to the palace. Hoping she had made a difference, and not made things any worse, only time would tell.

**I hope you liked this chapter, that it gave some answers to the questions left from the last chapter. **

**Question for this chapter**

**One. Dose this new added back-story make sense. **

**Two. What do you think of Toph's actions, do you think she did the right thing. **

**Three. What would you like Zuko's reaction should be when he finds out about what she did. **


	3. Chapter 3

The two young benders made there way through the court lard, in total silence, under the light of the hot sun. Toph was wearing a pair of brown flat shoes, with stapes that crossed over. She was wearing them to make her foot steps louder, so Ozai would know she was there. There was another reason as well, one that she would also keep from Zuko. Over the last few years her ability to feeling a persons vibration through the earth, and what they meant, had become so strong, that she didn't even have to try and pick up on it any more. She wore shoes in some situations to give herself a barrier from the world.

They would always make this walk in silence. So there was nothing out of the ordinary. Except Toph was keeping silent for a different reason. She was hoping that everything would work out. Zuko was also keeping quiet for a different reason. He had also made a choice about what he was going to do next, and to do that he was going to have to do something that no one he knew of had ever been able to do before.

"Do you really hate being here" Zuko was the first to break the silence. Toph stopped for a split second, taken aback by the question she had just been asked.

"No, why"

"This is the last time I am going to go and see him. So you can leave after, or even now if you really what to" he was lying to Toph, and he didn't know if he would get away with it. The best way he could think of to do this was to be as honest as he could, without giving away his motives and to be very vague in what he had said.

"No" she almost shouted, regaining her composure she continued "I don't like to leave things unfinished, I'll see this through to the end with you. So come on slow pock" her attempt to take away from the tension failed miserably, she took the lead and made her way to the cells.

He was lying, or at least he was not tell her the whole truth, he was keeping something from her. She was doing the something to him, so she had no right to call him on it. She had to let it go, act like she didn't know he was holding back.

Once they had entered the corridor, Toph kept walking, and took the position she had taken the day before. Zuko had expected her to take her normal place at the end of the corridor, but she kept walking. He walked past her as he moved to enter the cell, with out a word or even a look. He couldn't bring himself to look at her.

He pulled the door shut behind him. The sound of the door shutting felt like thunder, as the corridor had been filled with a uneasy silence. Toph flinched at the loud sound right next to her, that speed her hear rate up more than it had already been. She placed her hands on the wall behind her. The feel of the cold earth on her palms, helped her to steady her breathing and heart rate, as she waited to hear what was going to be said, but all she heard was silence. After a few minutes of deafening silence in the cell Ozai broke it.

"I had a visitor last night" Zuko, whose head had fallen to the ground, as he tried to find the right words to say what he had to, was now fixed on his father "that little earthbender is an interesting person, and quite pretty in a…earthy way" he was trying to provoke a reaction from his son, but he wouldn't get one. Zuko felt the angry build up inside off him, as his fathers words washed over him.

Outside Toph could hear every word that was said, taking in a deep breath as she waited for Zuko's reaction. Ozai's heart was racing with excitement, he was enjoying torturing his son, but it was not that at first that had worried her. It was Zuko's heart rate increasing once he knew what she had done. If he could have she knew he would have left the cell to lash out at her, but he couldn't move.

"She has shed a new light of things. isn't that ironic, a blind person shedding light on something" the former fire lord's laugh now filled the room. On the other side of the door, Toph could now feel her heart racing from anger. If she didn't feel guilty about going behind Zuko's back, she would have entered the call again, and silence him herself. Then it would all have been for nothing, she had to remain calm and see where this went, so did Zuko.

"It would seem that I was right about you the whole time. You don't have the heart to be a firebending master. You could never defeat your younger sister. It was all an accident, and I will have vengeances for that mistake"

Zuko was at a loss. He had didn't know what emotion was stronger, surprise at what would happen next, anger at Toph for going being his back, or fear for her safety now his father knew the truth.

"So do you really want to know, where your mother is" all Zuko could do was look at his father in the eyes for the first time, with a look of utter shock on his face "she has been living under guard, on a small island just off the very tip on the fire nation"

With that Zuko was on his feet, and out the door. He was followed by the manic laughter of a crazy man.

"Toph" there was no emotion behind what he said. And no reason to say more, she knew what he was asking.

"He was telling the truth"

* * *

**i know this was a very short chapter, but i thought it was a good point to stop at. thanks for reading, i hope you are enjoying the story. i dont want to go down the same road i did the last time i wrote this story, but it would be really great to get some fedback. as i have said before there are 11 reveiws for this story, but they are from the first time i posted it, so far i have had no fedback for this rewrite. as it is such a short chapter i dont have any questions, but plz reveiw and let me know what you think, thank you. **


	4. Chapter 4

He was out of the cells as soon as she had spoken. Toph took a second to prepare herself, before she went after A very angry fire bender.

"Zuko" he was just out of the corridor, as she turned to go after him. She was just able to catch the door, before it slammed shut "I told you, don't run away from me. Stop being a coward, and talk to me" as she finished talking Toph stopped walking, she stood in the court lard, waiting for Zuko to react to her taunting.

"and I told you, that telling him was not an option. This had nothing to do with you. Just st….." Zuko had now turned to face the blind master bender.

"it has everything to do with me. If she is dead…..then it is my fault. Not yours, or Katara's…..or Aang's. mine"

Zuko was shocked at what Toph had just said, he had never for one second blamed Toph for what happened. He couldn't understand how she could blame herself "Toph, what happened was not your fault"

Now moving towards the younger bender, Zuko straightened out his arm placing his hand on her shoulder "I'm sorry you felt that way"

"where you planning on just going now on your own" it was as if her outburst hadn't happened. He almost wondered if she had just tricked him into getting into a conversation with her. There was no way that she could fake the look in her eyes, or the pain in her voice, she wasn't that good at controlling her emotions, no one was. So if now she wanted to act like nothing happened, then he would let her. There was plenty of time to talk about that later.

"What about Mai. Shouldn't you tell her you are just going to leave her, again" she

hadn't wanted to be so cruel and bring up a past action of his, That still caused him pain to remember. He hadn't answered her first question, so she had to hit belong the belt to get an answer.

"I'll speak to her, then I am going alone" he moved to walk away, but didn't make it move than two steps.

"there is no way that after you dragged me here to help you, that I am just going to be left out now. Especially when the fun is about to start" as much as he just wanted to get away from her right now, he had to admirer how she was able to put aside any issues she may have and get on with what had to done.

He didn't turn around to speak "I tried to lie to you this morning. You probably knew already, but I thought I should say it" Toph had noticed an odd heart rate coming from him this morning, he was keeping something from her, but she let him " this wasn't going to be the last day I went to see him, I just wanted to get you away from here"

Toph felt his heart rate slow, so she took a step towards him "whatever she may be, Azula is still me little sister, I should have helped her. It wasn't your job to do that Toph, I'm sorry you felt it was, that I put that pressure on you"

Zuko had now turned to face Toph "you where the first person to except me into your family, the first one that believed me. I felt that I didn't fit in with you all, but you made me feel like I was welcome. I think of you as a sister. I don't help Azula, but I am not going to make the same mistake again. I am not going to put you in danger. So thank you for your help but I'm doing this alo….."

Before he could finish, Toph had just walked away. He turned to watch her leave, unsure of what had just happened.

"you can thank me later" with that she had entered the palace, not giving him a chance to say any more.

Zuko walked slowly through the palace, he was looking for Mai. He already knew where she would be, on the balcony over looking the fire nation capital. He avoided going there straight away, so that he would have time to plan out what he was going to say. When he finale made his way to the balcony, she was sitting on a chair facing the city. She had a scroll in her hands, but she wasn't reading it. It was a story that she had been read when she was a child.

She felt him coming towards her. This was the first time in almost a month she had seen him in the day light. That could only mean one thing. he had got what he needed. He was going to leave, her again.

"this is a story about a princess, that's trapped in her palace, by her overbearing father. Then one day a brave warrior comes and frees her. And of course they live happy ever after…..reminds me of Toph a little, but that would make Aang the warrior"

Zuko knew what she was doing, avoiding what was going on, so she didn't have to open up to him. And he was sure another part of it was to punish him to. He walked over to stand in front of her. Placing his hands on either side of her face he pulled her to her feet, and kissed her.

"At lest I get better than a note this time" she whispered into his ear.

"This is something I have to do"

"I know" with that all of her angry was gone and she did something very unlike herself. She pulled him into a fierce embrace "just come back soon, and in one piece"

"I promise" he hugged her even tighter.

They stayed in the embrace for a few minutes. Then he pulled away and left. Part of Mai had wanted to go with him, or see him leave. But all she could do was stand in the same spot. Because deep down she knew, that she couldn't do anything to help him know. It was that, that had hurt the most.

Zuko was going to leave from the back entrance, so no one would see. But someone did.

"And just how do you plan on getting to the northern most tip of the fire nation. Tell me you have a plan" Toph was leaning against the wall of the palace, few feet along from the door Zuko had just walked through. He hadn't seen her, as he had tunnel vision to his next from the palace.

"I thought you would be on your way back to the earth kingdom by now" slowly he turned to face the slightly unwelcome voice.

"no you didn't, you hoped that was what I was doing"

* * *

**Again I know that this may seem like an odd place to stop this chapter, but I am hoping that by leaving it like this it will make people more interested to read the next chapter. Also I need help, I don't know how I am going to get Toph and Zuko to their distanctiuon. If you have read this story before, then you might remember that I had Toph earthbend a large brick thing to get them there. However looking it over I don't think that, that really works. So the question for this chapter is**

**One. How do you think Toph and Zuko should travel. **

**I thought of an air balloon, but I plan of using that later, and I don't really want to use is twice. I cant really go on with the story till I have this worked out, and I have no ideas really. So any help you can give now, will get the story moving again. Thank you for your help it is really important at this point. **


	5. Chapter 5

**I would like to thank everyone that helped with advice for this chapter, all one of you. It really meant a lot, knowing that people liked the story, and where willing to help to keep it going. I tried to use the idea that was given to me, but It didn't really work, but thank you so much anyway. So I hope what I came up with works better than the large stone, but if it doesn't, well it is the best I could do, and you had your chance to have input.**

He couldn't help but smile; he could still see the person he once knew in her sometimes. Out of all of them, she had changed the most in all the time he had known her. So he was glad to here that tone of sarcasm in her voice.

"That's right I owe you a life changing field trip"

"Yeah that's right" she hadn't expected it to be so essay to get him to let her come. She had also not expected him to be making light of the situation. The relief washed over her, she was worried about how Zuko would react to her forcing her company on him. The possibility that he could still be mad at her, had also been worrying her.

Toph now had a faint smile on her face" You don't expect us to walk, that would take at least three days, so what is the plan"

"To be honest, I hadn't really thought that completely through yet"

"You are just as bad as Sokka. You where just going to wing it weren't you"

"I'll have you know, there is a lot to be said for winging it" to this Toph rolled her eyes, and waited for Zuko to tell her what he had planned out so far, for their travel plans.

Zuko did have an idea, but with Toph now coming with him he knew that, it may not be possible anymore. Instead of telling her and having the posability of a fight, he started to walk away. The words don't walk away from me again, where on the tip of Toph's tough, but she said nothing and followed. she thought it wa best to let Zuko take the lead on this, and follow his lead. She was lead out of the garden of the palace, and to a small stables. Zuko entered and started to pull the two saddles that where hanging from a hook on the wall. Two basilisk lizards stood in the canter of the stable. They had kept their eyes on Zuko as he entered, now their turned to Toph, was she entered.

Zuko had remained silent the whole time. He hoped that by not giving her any chance to pick a fight with him, over that travel armaments, then maybe there wouldn't be an argument about it. However now he had to say something "they rant as mean as they look, once you get used to…." he turned to face Toph, as he spoke to find her standing next to the larger of the basilisk lizards, pitting it's head.

"if I judged people by how mean they look, then I wouldn't never have trusted you"

"very funny. Your blind, and I have a scar. Great" Zuko moved to fasten the saddles, attaching packs of food and blankets. Once he was done he noticed Toph was trying to attached the pack she had worn in her hip to the saddle. He wondered if he should offer her some help, before he had to choose she found the clip and attached the pack.

"we have a problem" Zuko moved over to her to see what she meant "I may not be that good with numbers, but I know that three into two doesn't go" Zuko knew what she was getting at, he had just hoped that she wouldn't bring it up "if it all goes well, then there will be three of us coming back"

Zuko walked past Toph to pick up a rope that lay on the ground "I know. You and I will just have to ride the same basilisk lizard on the way back" there was a note of sadness to his voice that Toph hated to hear. It was like he was trying to stop himself from getting his hopes up, like he expected to he disappointed again, for his father to let him down.

As he passed her again, Toph did something very unlike herself. She took hold of his wrist, and wrapped the other arm around his neck, giving him a half hug "we will fond her, he was telling the truth"

He knew what an effort it was for Toph to comfort him like that, so he didn't say anything else. He took a step past her tying the rope to the saddle then walked to the other basilisk lizard and tied it too. He had done this so that he would be able to direct both the basilisk lizards, as Toph couldn't. once he was ready he clasped is hands out in front of himself to help to up. Toph knew what he was doing, she made a point of reaming on the other side of the basilisk lizard, and bending the earth under her into a platform. Zuko quickly pulled himself onto the other basilisk lizard, he felt like an total moron now.

They rode in total silence for most the rest of the day. Zuko was pushing them hard. Toph held onto the rains with all of her strength. She had no idea where they where, or for how long they had been travelling. She was starting to feel dizzy, Zuko hadn't stopped for lunch, and she hadn't eaten before they left. The heat from the sun was getting weaker, as the evening set in, but lack of water made it hotter. Toph didn't dare loosen her tight grip on the rains to reach fro her water bottle.

In the distance to his right Zuko saw a rang of large mountains, this meant they where getting close to the northern tip of the fore nation. If he pushed the basilisk lizard a little harder them they might make it there before the sun set.

As they basilisk lizards speed up, pushed on by Zuko, Toph had gather her nerve to let go of the rains to get the water bottle. She was thrown back, and couldn't get hold of the rains again.

"Zuko slow down"

He heard her, but he didn't listen. They didn't slow down, instead they gained speed. Toph made one more attempt to reach for the rains, she missed again. In that split second the basilisk lizard that Toph was riding hit a small rock in the ground, casing it to stumped, and Toph to be thrown off.

Zuko held her let out a small yell. Even while falling from a speeding basilisk lizard Toph still wouldn't let herself really scream. Zuko saw her hit the ground and roll to a stop, as he pulled the rains to stop the speeding creatures.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, as he ran over to his earth bending friend. She wasn't moving, it wasn't till he reached her and let himself fall to the ground next to her, that he saw her chest rise and fall as she breathed in and out. Slowly he turned her over, her eyed were closed, and her face seemed drained it was whither than normal.

After what felt like an eternity of silence she started open her eyes, and try and sit up.

"Toph, are you ok, I am so sorry" Toph was now sitting up. Her head was pounding, and their was a shark pain that shout through her right shoulder, when she tried to move it. She bit her lip to keep from screaming.

Zuko saw this "what's wrong, Toph" his voice was dripping with concern.

"I think I have dislocated my shoulder" her voice was so low, not like her at all. Again she tired to move her arm, to bend a small earth column. Again she couldn't move it very will and the pain was worse "yeah, I did dislocated it"

The look of pain on her face, and the feeling of guilt took over Zuko and he started to panic "I am so sorry, I did it again, you try and help me and I go and hurt you" "Zuko!" "Why do you bother to help me, I don't deserve it"

"Zuko!" this time she got his attention and silenced him "I need your help to fix my shoulder"

"how"

"take hold of my wrist" he as he was told. He held her right wrist very gentle, as not to cause her any more pain "now put your foot against the column" Toph tilted her head towards the small column of earth she had bent with her left hand, while Zuko had been panicking and feeling sorry for himself. Again he did as he was instructed "now pull as hard as you can, till you hear a click"

She couldn't see, but she knew there must be a look of total shock and horror on the fire nation princes face now "I promise I wont scream, just do it. Now!" before he had a chance to over think what he was doing Zuko pulled her arm towards him self as much as he could. True to her word Toph didn't let out so much as a whimper, but her face looked completely drained now, and there was a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. Once he though he heard a click Zuko gentle let her wrist go, and moved to sit closer to her. He noticed that Toph had been holding onto the earth with her left hand to keep herself from being pulled into him as he pulled her arm. The finger tips on her left hand where now bleeding.

Before Zuko could say any thing, Toph had pulled her self on to her feet, and was waling back towards the basilisk lizards. She was surprisingly steady on her feet. Zuko slowly followed her. When he reached her by the basilisk lizard she had been riding, she was trying to get something out of the pack she had taken with her. Without a word he reached into that pack for her.

Getting the idea Toph spoke "there should be two bandages in there" Zuko found one and pulled it out. Before she could object Zuko gently took hold oh her right arm again, and placed it over her chest, then wrapped the banged around her shoulder to keep her arm in place. Toph didn't say a word, till he was done.

"thank you"

"what for. You got hurt…."

"don't start that again. I have had enough of that from you before and Aang too. So just stop it ok"

Zuko got up the guts to ask her a question "You ok" he could tell she wasn't. Her face had gone much whiter than normal. He knew now that there was a reason Toph had poisoned herself, with her back to him as he tied the bandage in place, She didn't what him to see how much straiten she was putting on herself by moving around already.

"Yeah I'm fine" as she said this she pushed him away from her. By luck she was able to make eye contact with him "we are move than half way there. If we make an early start tomorrow we should be there by mid-afternoon"

It was the first time he had really seen her eyes. He didn't realise it at the time but he had always had made a real effort not to look her in the eyes, As if she would know he was looking at them and be offended . Like he used to feel when he caught people looking at his scare.

"I think we should wait till you are up to it" he had expected her to get mad, but she just stood there.

"You aren't ready yet, are you" her voice went right through him, and for the second time their eyes meet. This time he felt the full power of the blind stare. It was as if she could see right through him. It was very creepy to see her that way. He had a few doubts about Aang making her grand master, but seeing her now he could see it.

"I am. it is you I am worried about. You just feel from a speeding basilisk lizard, and your clearly not fully healed from the" before he could finish she had snapped back to her old self.

"I am an earth bender, I can take worse than that. I stand by what I said earlier, your not ready to see her again" as she said the last part she bent a block of earth for her t sit on, as she was worried her will power wouldn't be enough to keep her standing much longer.

"You're one to talk. When was the last time you even spoken to your parents" he knew he had crossed the line, and wished he could take it back "sorry, I shouldn't have said that"

"No you shouldn't" all the anger and pain that she had been trying to keep out of her voice finally crept out.

"Look, we have to stop this arguing it isn't doing any good" he took a set next to her, and immediately regretted it as he was now stuck between invading Toph's personal space and falling of the block of earth.

She didn't say a thing; she didn't need to her silence let him know she was going to let it drop. If he did. She just sat there playing with the bracelet on her right wrist, it was sticking out of the edge of the bandage, it was the one Aang gave her, as a symbol of her title as grand master earthbender.

"So have you heard from him" it seemed like the question had come out of no where, but Toph knew what he was talking about.

"No, not since he left Ba Sing Se. you" there was a hint of bitterness to her voice.

"No me nether, he must just be busy with avatar business" Toph nodded in return, but it didn't seem convincing.

He put his left arm around her and pulled her closer, being careful not to hold her to close. He knew she was upset that Aang hadn't got in touch with her, or any of them. He knew how important their group was to her it was her family, as her own had turned on her, abandoning her.

"What are you doing"

"This is how I show affection" they couldn't help but smile. She elbowed him in the stomach not as forcefully as she could have done, but her whole body still seemed to ache.

"And that, is how I still show affection" with that she tried to hope of the block of earth in one quick movement, but she didn't quit pull I of. With the one arm she bent herself a earth tent. Once she was inside it, and closed the entrance, Zuko got up too. He started to unpack his blanket, so he too could sleep.

The night air was warm and the ground soft, but still sleep would not come to the prince. Questions that he wanted to ask his mother kept going through his mind. He was also thinking about Toph and her family, and how alone she must feel. Even when things where at there worst he always had a part of his family with him, Iroh. She had had no one. He come to two important conclusions that night, one was that he would find his mother and do whatever it took to keep his family together, and that he would make sure that Toph was a part of it.

* * *

**i hope you liked this chapter, and the basilisk lizards, idea worked. i thought i point out that basilisk lizards are the animals that Azula. Mai and Ty lee were riding in the chase episode. **

**i dont know if it is worth it, but he are the questionfor this chapter. **

**one. are Zuko and Toph acting to close, like a posible coule in this chapter. **

**two. was enough made of the fall, or was it rushed a little. **

**three. if you have read this story forst time, then do you like this form of travel better than the large stone. **


	6. Chapter 6

Zuko rose with the sun, like most firebenders. He thought he would be the first one up, but when he looked over to where Toph's earth tent had been last night, he saw that it had been sunken back into the earth that it came from. Toph was also no where to be seen. If he was very honest he was glad that he didn't have to wake her up. He had heard some horror story's from Sokka about waking up the young earthbender. The worst of which, involved Sokka ending up with his head in the ground., and that had been when she wasn't in pain from a dislocated shoulder. There was a part of him however that was worried about her, she maybe able to take care of herself, but she had lost the use of one of her arms now, thanks to him.

He pulled himself up onto his feet, and walked over the block of earth Toph bent up the pervious night, and hadn't bent back like the earth tent yet. He jumper onto the block, to look round to see if he could she Toph, he didn't. So he jumped off the stone, he was about to unpack some food to eat, but there was something he wanted to try. With one more look around to make sure Toph wasn't anywhere to be seen, he tried with every bit of strength he had to move the block of earth even a little. He had always thought he was strong, but after a great effort he couldn't get the stone to move even a inch. The fact that Toph was able to move it so easily, with no visible effort was something he couldn't get his male pride around.

"If you wanted it moved into the shade, you should have asked"

"I… didn't see… you" Zuko couldn't think of any other time in his life that he had been more embarrassed.

"No, but I saw you the moment you woke up" she was enjoying being able to gloat a little. It was better than having to reassure him that she was fine, and didn't blame him for the accident.

In an attempt to change the subject, Zuko blurted out "so where were you"

Toph flopped to the ground and crossed her legs shrugged her good shoulder and answered "I was working on a new technique" she pulled out an apple from her pocket and took a bite from it.

Like Toph, Zuko hadn't even anything the day before, and he hadn't had the chance to eat anything yet.

"Where did you get that"

"full of questions this morning aren't we sparky" a smirk crossed Toph's face, as she took another bite of the red apple. If he didn't know her better, Zuko would have been sure that she had something up her sleeve. "Over there., didn't think you would be up so I didn't get you one" with the apple in her left hand, and her right arm in a sling, she gestured with her head the direction of the apple tree.

He didn't what to get into another fight with her, or push her to talk to much, so he moved to get an apple himself. He tried to move his right leg forward, but it didn't move. He quickly looked down at his feet. He saw that the grass he had been standing on had grown and had wounded round his legs, stopping him from moving them. He struggled to get free, but it wasn't working.

The whole time he was struggling to get free Toph was laughing. as she continued to eat her breakfast, and pretending not to notice Zuko's struggling and moaning.

"Did you do this" it was a rhetorical question, he knew the answer already. All she could do to respond to the rhetorical question was nodded her head "how"

Once she had calmed down, regained control of her composure, she was able to speak again. Answering his second, not rhetorical question "that was the new technique I was working on"

"Good for you. now let me go"

"I know it is hard for you, being from the fire nation and all, but you could say please"

"Ok fine, please"

"Gladly" with that she pulled herself up straight, through the finished apple away, then with her good arm reached into her pocket and pulled out another apple. Which she through to Zuko. Who with a great deal of luck, as he was unable to move, and the person throwing the apple was blind, was able to catch it.

"Aren't you going to ask how I can bend the grass" Zuko was feeling in more of a pleasant mood, now that he had some food in his stomach, so he nodded, while continued to eat.

"It is very essay, Katara can bend it to an extent, but it kills the plants when she dose. Cause she pulls all the water from them. So I thought since plants are as much a part of earth as they are of water, then if I loosened my movements it might work. Plants are living things so you don't bend them in the same way, you have to guide it rather than tell it" the whole time she had been speaking she was bending the grass around her left arm, to demonist what she was talking about. Zuko found himself being really impressed, with his young earthbending friend. He was also a little sad that he would never he as good a bender as she was. No matter how hared he tried. It was so much a part of her, he couldn't imagine her without bending. He didn't know if she would be able to cope if she were to lose her bending.

Once she was done speaking she returned the grass to its original form, and jumped onto her feet. It seemed that after some rest, and food she had regained her energy. Zuko also noted that the colour had come back to her face, she was still very pale thou, but that was just her.

"So are we going or what" as she moved to her right, he noticed her flinch a little, so she wasn't as recovered as she let him think.

Zuko looked down at his feet and saw the grass had unwound its self from him, and was now returning to it's original shape. He took a seat on the stone, again. Toph didn't notice as she was bending a long blade of grass, that must have been six feet at lest, Taller than her. She compacted it too about a foot then wound it round her left arm.

"what are you doing" she asked with her back to him, as she faced the two basilisk lizards.

"what you said last night. I am ready to go, but your not"

Toph was still not facing him "fine. If your so worried about me riding again, then….I think I could bend that block, with one arm. We can travel on that if your going to go all motherly on me" as she had been talking Zuko walked over to her.

When he reached her, he wanted to turn her round to face him, but that wasn't going to do any good "Toph. I cant read ever single person I come into contact with, like you…but I know you, so answer me honestly. Are you sure that you are ready to continue"

Normally Toph have said yes the second anyone asked a question like that, but this was different. She knew he was telling the truth, he would know if she had lied to him. Deep down she knew that he could be tricked if she wanted, but she didn't feel right about lying to him. He felt so guilty already that she was hurt, and involved in this as much as she was. If she rushed on, and got hurt again, then he would feel worse, and she didn't want that. He would be fussing over her even more than he was, and then she would have to hurt him, it was to much effort. She had to be honest with him now.

After what felt like an eternity for Zuko, she answered, and he knew she was telling the truth. The tone of her voice was so sure "yes"

A faint smile crossed the fire nation prince's face. Before Toph had a chance to turn round, Zuko had scooped her up into his arms. He was careful not to touch her right shoulder. Her left arm was pulled into his chest, as his left arm held up her legs, and his right held her around the waist "Zuko..put me….."

Before she had the opportunity to elbow him in the stomach, Zuko had placed Toph side-saddle on the back of the basilisk lizard she had been riding the day before.

"we'll just have to ride the same basilisk lizard a little sooner than planed" as she spoke Zuko pulled himself up to join Toph on the basilisk lizard. He sat with Toph in-between him and the head of the basilisk lizard. Again had made sure that her right side was not next to him.

Toph didn't say a word. Zuko could tell by the look on her face that she just wanted to get this over with. She was the most independent person that he had ever met in his whole life, having to get his help, having to get help from anyone was not easy for her. So he stayed silent, trying to make the situation less uncomfortable and unpleasant for her.

He took hold of the rains, resting his right arm against Toph's back. Even thou he more or less had his arms around her, he still felt that Toph was in a very vulnerable position. Without any comment Toph lifted her left arm, wrapping it around Zuko's neck. She let her left hand just hang over his left shoulder, but it was if she had picked up on his fear for her, and was trying to make him feel a little more secure that she was safe.

Once Zuko pulled the rains telling the basilisk to start the last part of the journey, he felt Toph's hand grapping hold of his robe over his left shoulder. He kept at a steady pace, as the other basilisk lizard was still tired to the one they were riding, and was getting dragged along behind them.

Once he was sure they where getting very close to their distinction, he felt the need to speed up "we're nearly there"

Toph knew what that meant, as the creature under her speed up, Toph hid her head in the crook of Zuko's neck, and held on with he left hand all the more tightly. A little longer and it would be over, neither was letting themselves think about what was going to happen next.

* * *

**I hope you are enjoying reading the story, as I am enjoy getting to go back and rewrite it, making it better. I hope. **

**I cant think of any real question for this chapter, but I would like to know what you think about the grass bending thing, dose it work. Also I know that with everything that was going to in this story, it seems a like odd to put in a chapter like this that is a little light hearted, but I felt it was nice to put in a brake from everything that is going on, before getting into the start of the climax of this part of the story. So again please review, any feedback is very welcome. **

**Actually, I do have a real question. As I said when I started this part, that the first eleven reviews where from the first time I posted this story. In five chapters there have only been two reviews, and I was just wondering why that is. It is because the everyone that is reading has already read the story the first time, and have nothing to say or contribute, or is the story just really bad, if that is the case then please tell me, so I can fix it, and tell me why are still reading of it is bad, I would love to hear from everyone about this so please review or pm me. **


	7. Chapter 7

Zuko dropped the rains with his right hand, which he placed gently on Toph's shoulder, just above the sling, pulling her in a little tighter. With his left hand he pulled the rains, to tell the basilisk lizard to stop. The sun was at it's height, and was shinning directly onto the large dilapidated fort, casting a long shadow behind it onto the sea.

Once they had come to a complete stop, Toph removed her good arm from Zuko's shoulder. As gently as he could, as not to knock Toph in any way, Zuko dismounted onto the ground. He offered a hand to help Toph, but she didn't take it. It seemed to Zuko that she flopped of the back of the basilisk lizard, and onto the familiar earth.

"Get down and come on" she whispered, it was the first thing she had said to him since they had left that morning. Her voice was a little uneasy. The journey had taken it's toll on her already fragile conduction, but there was no going back now.

Not wanting to drag this out any more than it had to be, He did as he was told. On their knees they made their way to a shrub, a few feet from where the basilisk lizards had been left. From this point Zuko had a good view of the entrance to the fort, complete with a guard keeping watch.

"There are two guards inside, one on the top floor, the other on the bottom at the back door, and the one you see at the main door. Then your mother on the top floor. In the biggest room"

"Ok. I'll get her out if you can get their attention for a bit" he was unsure of his plan. It was the essayist way of doing it, but he didn't know if Toph was up to it. If he could get her to stay far enough away that the guards wouldn't see her, will keeping them out of his way, then they might be able to pull this off without anymore injures.

"Ok" her voice was different now, there was a determination that he hadn't heard before. He knew where it was coming from, her need to prove herself, but to who, him or herself "just be quick" while she spoke Toph reached her left hand behind her head. She untied the sling, letting her right arm fall to her side. A tiny flinch crossed her face, as she raised the arm, and stretched it out, and moved her fingers "all better" before Zuko could do or say anything she was gone, she had moved her arms in unison, then seemed to sink into the earth. He didn't know where she was going to emerge from the earth, but he did know that it would be close to the guards. So much for his hope of no more injures.

He knew he had to move, now. His head knew that, But for a few seconds he just couldn't do it, his body wouldn't let him. The air around him was filled with a uneasy silence. His heart rate began to race, then when the silence was broken by a large crash from the direction of the fort, the direction he was sure Toph had gone. His heart almost jumped out of his cheat, it brought him back to himself. He turned to his left and run.

Toph had emerged from her element, on the right side of the fort. Once she reached it she made her presence felt, by bending six stones, that made up the wall of the fort, out of their place then letting them drop to the ground from the same height as the fort itself. This not only alerted the guards to her presence, but also pushed Zuko into action. She turned her back to the wall, and let her self fall back onto it. The stones had been dropped into a semi-circle, that went around her, ready to be used again. Some had been broken in the drop, so she had to bend them back together. Now all she had to do was just wait for them to get there. It took longer than she expected, which gave her the chance to rest her right shoulder before she had to real bend again.

When Zuko reached the fort, he found the back door open. The guard didn't have a chance to lock it, as he had to move to where toph was waiting. He quietly made his way in, as not to draw any attention from Toph and onto him. The inside of the fort was as bleak as the outside. Even with the sun light shinning outside, it did not enter any inch of the fort. It was one large room with a door to some other room, and a staircase at the far need. The staircase was narrow, and there seemed to be even less light from outside on the top floor.

The guards finally made their way to the right side of the building, as Zuko walked across the dark hall.

"You took your time" Toph's voice was as flat, as the wall she pushed herself from, as she brought her arms up, and brought them down to her right side in one fast move. The stones followed her movement as they whipped through the air looking like they were joined together by an invisible rope, going from right to left. There was a foot between each stone, giving her a six foot barrier around herself.

"And a lot easer too"

As she bent the stones Toph had been moving forward a few feet, then turned and faced the fort and the guards. She had pushed then into a corner, figuratively speaking. They where now trapped between the wall and, Toph's attack.

Zuko made a dash for the stairs. He ran as fast as he could. When he reached the top few steps, he took a second to catch his breath. At the top of the stairs where two long corridors, he didn't know which one to take. He went with his gut, and turned right onto the floor. He took the final step onto the floor, and was forced to jump back. As a wall of fire came straight at him. It filled the corridor from wall to wall, about five feet from the ground.

He turned into the long corridor, that had know returned to darkness, after that momentary flash of light. Keeping close to the ground, Zuko made his way towards the guard, he was now sure he was going the right way. Once he was sure that he could make the figure of the guard out in the dark, a few feet a head of him, putting the key to the door he had just locked in his pocket, he sent a wave of flames that covered the whole floor. The last guard was taken by surplice and feel backwards. Zuko pulled out his long sword and made his way to the man on the floor

"Give me the key"

As he moved closer Zuko feel into a pool of light from the dust covered window behind him. The guard knew who he was, and what he was doing here the second he saw his face. With a smirk he handed the prince the key. Zuko moved to unlock the door, leaving the guard to get to his feet again. Using the windowsill to help him up, the guard glanced out of the window. What he saw was very entreating, it seemed the young prince had not come alone, and of all the people in the world to have come with him.

Toph bent the stones into two groups of three, Then sent them towards the two guards at an alarming rate. Once the now large stones where about a foot away from them the bricks split into a number of sharp spicks that pined the two men to the wall. One of the guards had been further away from the wall, and was pushed back a good few inches, hitting his head on the wall as he went.

Zuko's hands where shaking, as he tried to place the key in the lock. He used the other to steady him, by placing it on the door, and leaning on it. When finally he got the key into the lock, he froze, before throwing the door open, as impatience took over.

The room was only slightly brighter than the hall way, because of the large window, but still it took a minute for Zuko's eyes to adjust to the light. As well as a bright light there was also a warmth that came from with in the room.

"Zuko, is that you" he couldn't speak he couldn't even move. Her figure moved towards him, with the light behind her. It took him a few seconds to be able to see her clearly, once he did he just ran, Into the embrace that he had longed for, for so long.

"Zuko"

A single tear slid down the fire nation princess face, as she held her now grown son close to her. She had seen the scare for a brief monument. All she could think was, what has he done to you.

With the guards disposed off, for now, Toph moved forward to the wall. She plashed her hand on the wall in between the two men. Who saw a small smile appear on her face, as she picked up on too steady hearts beats, coming from inside the fort.

"Are you two ready to get out of here now" Zuko had lost all memory of what was going on around him, he felt like he had gone back to when he was nine years old again. The fear that if he let her go, she would leave him again, was so strong. He was brought crashing back into the present by her voice, calling from outside the window. There was a note of pain to her voice, that moved him to the window, to see her.

Ursa followed her son to the window. She knew her daughters voice, but their was still a small part of her that hoped that her youngest child would be standing under the window.

Toph was just standing there with her right arm hanging by her side, this was the first thing that Zuko had noticed, then he saw her face, she was trying to keep the pain she was in from showing on her face. Once she felt them at the window, a smile crossed her face. She lifted her left arm out, pointing towards the window, As she did this the grass that she had bent around her arm that morning fallowed the direction her hand pointed too. The grass reached up to the window and hooked its self to the side of the window frame.

The first thing Ursa had noticed about Toph was her eyes. They looked so familiar yet so different, the young girl had a air around her, that made Ursa also feel like she was in the past.

"Hold on and slide down" she could feel them pear out to see how high they where "I softened the ground if you fall it won't hurt. But I didn't think you would want to jump" there was an urgency to her voice. The strain of holding her left arm straight enough to maintain the grass rope, was spreading across to her right shoulder. If they didn't move quickly then they would have to jump, weather that wanted to or not.

Zuko picked up on the urgency in her voice" You go first, I'll follow" Zuko helped his mum out of the window, Then he made his way out.

Toph wound the grass back around her arm, and they started to make their way back to the basilisk lizards. Zuko and Ursa had a lot of question that they needed to have the answers too. When they where a couple of feet in front of the fort, Toph felt the movement of the third guard, making his way to the main door. There was something about his calm, yet fast heart rate that unnerved Toph. Silently she started to pick up her pace, she was in no condition to deal with any one now, and she knew for sure that, that was what he had planed. Zuko and Urse followed Toph's lead, picking up their pace.

"Toph…" before he could ask her the question that was on his lips, a fire whip came into view. It sliced the air in-between him and Toph. Separating the mother and son, from the disowned Bei Fong heiress.

Zuko wanted to turn and fight, but one look at Toph and he decided against it. If he was to fight then she would insist on fighting too, and she just wasn't up to it, she couldn't even move her right arm. So they ran, towards the trees, and shrubs a few feet away, where the basilisk lizards where waiting.

The third guard hadn't been sure if she was who he thought she was, but once Zuko said her name he was sure. He had separated her from the others by a few feet, he now continued to walk towards them, maintaing the space between them with the wipe. Once he was close enough, he sent the wipe at Toph.

Toph had no way of avoiding the fire whip, the guards movements didn't tell her the way it was moving. All she could do was run and hope for the best. There where a few times when she felt the whip get so close to her that she felt her skin start to burn.

It came from no where. The searing pain that hit her on the back of her right leg, right at the knee. It was just as painful as getting her feet burnt. She let out a faint yell, and fell, hitting her right shoulder on the hard earth, this time she screamed.

The guard made his way towards Toph who lay on the ground, trying to force herself onto he feet again, with only her left arm. Toph had learned after her first encounter with Zuko, that waiting and listening was more important with firebenders. Because she had to watch their moves more carefully. There was a reason that he had attacked her, and not Zuko or Ursa. She didn't know what that was, but if she could gather all the strength she had, she would enjoy making him tell her.

Zuko heard Toph scream, he had never heard her scream like that, not when he burnt her feet, or pulled her arm, to put the shoulder back in place. He gave his mother a look, telling her to keep going, he would take care of this.

Zuko ran to Toph's side, but by the time he reached her she was on her feet. The guard had stopped once Zuko started to run towards them. This time he sent a ball of fire at the prince facing him back from Toph again. The second he had bent the fire ball he had bent another fire whip with his other hand, and sent it where Toph should have moved to, to avoid the fire ball form hitting her too.

The whip was coming down, about to hit Toph square on the back, as she faced the space Zuko had just a second again occupied. When it was less that two inches from her, Toph turned round to face it head on. Her right arm that she couldn't move, without great pain, swung round like a lip rag, followed by a steam of dust, coal earth, and some sand, the contents of the pouch Toph wore on her right hip. An earth whip, hit the fire whip, sending it back a few feet, the tail end of it came close to hitting Toph on the left side of her face.

The fire whip was quickly bent back toward Toph, who had an easy air of calm around her. She moved avoiding any attacks, while letting her right are move freely with the earth whip flowing from it, blocking all the attacks she could from a distance.

Zuko tried to intervening, but he didn't know how. He looked at Toph's face waiting to see any sign of what to do. Almost as if she felt his eyes on her, she turned to him, for one second their eyes met. The look she gave him, told him to stay back, to wait a little longer, she was planning something

Once he took his eyes, off of Toph, and looked at the fight as a whole, he saw what she was planning. He realised she was starting to take control of the ash that was being created, by the clashing of earth and fire. It was slowly being wound round the guards legs. She was doing this with her left hand, it was this that was the reason for the movements she was making, not the earth whip in the other hand. That had only been to keep his attention off the ash that was now wound around his legs, and making its way up his chest.

Toph pulled her left arm back in on quick movement, as she did the ash rope tightened around the guard. As he feel to the ground, she bent the rest of the ash around his arms, as the earth whip, flowed back into the pouch it came from.

Her breath was hard to catch, her chest never seemed to get enough air. Her right arm, shoulder, and back ached at even the gentle touch of the air. Her right leg couldn't be straitened, or bent so she walked with a slight limp, yet she walked towards the man that had attacked her, for a reason she didn't know yet, but she would know now.

Zuko ran to her, he was scared she would take one move step and collapse. "Come on Toph, we need to go" once he reached her, he had his hands ready to place on her shoulder to steady her, but the look on her face, so white drained of all colour told him that that would only case her needless pain now.

She stopped, but didn't make a move to turn with him to leave. She let out one deep breath, then her legs gave way under her tiny frame. She would have sunk to the earth if Zuko hadn't caught her. His left arm wrapped around her waist, before she could try and move away, insisting that she was fine, didn't need any help he placed his right arm under her knees, and turned carrying her toward his mother.

Forcing his head up, the guards locked his eyes on Toph, as she was carried away. Her eyes were starting to twitch, she was coming too" It was nice to finally see you, little lotus" the guard shouted out. It was fallowed by an evil laugh., as his head feel back down to the ground.

Toph heard him, as she became aware that she was not touching the earth she was totally blind. She tried to get out of Zuko's hold, but he held fast. This man had targeted her, and she wanted to know why.

"Kenshi stop. Please child we have to go now" Ursa's voice was clear, and strong, yet there was fear in it. Zuko was forced to speed up, so Toph couldn't get away from his hold.

A few minutes later the three of them where speeding away from the fort. Toph was being held close to Zuko as she had travelled earlier that day. Her eyes where shut, but she was awake she just didn't want to speak to anyone right now.

* * *

**I am quite proud of this chapter, I think it turned out ok. At least I hope it did. Like before I would like to thank everyone of you that has reviewed, all none of you that was really great. I really didn't want to get as wound up about all of that this time around, but it is still very frustrating putting all of this work in and feeling like it is not being noticed. I didn't think that writing a review took that long a minute at the very, very most, and that after working on the last chapter for three days that asking for a little feedback was asking to much, but I guess I was wrong. I hope you liked the chapter, and will like what it going to happen next. **

**Why Toph is familiar to Ursa, and why the guard targeted her will be revealed next chapter. If you haven't read the story first time round, then I would love to know what your ideas are on this. **

**I don't mean to beg, as it is really pathetic, but please let me know what you think, it is really important at this point. Thank you to all of you nice people that do this, and to you that don't I guess keep reading and enjoying, or not, I don't really care. Sorry if that is to mean, I don't mean to be. I am just frustrated at the minute, and needed to get it out my system. **


	8. Chapter 8

The sun had began to set by the time Zuko finally stopped the basilisk lizards. He had wanted to put as much space between them and the fort as he could, but Toph needed to rest. She was still laying in his tight hold, with her eyes clenched shut. She focused all of her attention onto Zuko's heart beat, as her head was placed almost exactly over his heart. This had started as a way of taking her mind of the pain in her right arm, but it had given her a feeling of safety as well.

Once they had stopped Toph opened her sightless eyes, pulling away from Zuko. He finally realised that she had been awake the whole time, she just wanted to be left along. Ursa dismounted from the other basilisk lizard, she moved over to Zuko, who was thinking about just taking hold of Toph to help her to the ground, but he knew even in great pain, she would push him away.

Toph however remained sitting, Afraid to move in case she fell over. Her pride had been dented by falling off the stupid lizard on the way there, and then being hit, by the fire whip. The last thing she wanted was to fall, as she returned to the ground.

Neither Zuko, nor Ursa had realised that Toph had been really hit by the fire whip, so he simply held out his hand to her "you did great" she smiled, a faint smile and took his hand, with her good one. As she moved her right leg, on to the stirrup of the saddle to help her down, it gave way under her and she feel. Lucky Zuko caught hold of her by the waist, then gently lowered her onto the comforting earth.

"Its your leg isn't it, I thought I saw a burn…." before he got a chance to finish she spoke.

"It'll be fine" she tried to move away, but Zuko held strong.

"ok, but your shoulder isn't. it needs to be but back in a sling" he pulled her over to a log that had fallen a few feet way. Using the other bandage that Toph had brought with her, Zuko again bound her right arm in a sling.

Toph broke silence the "I said you could thank me later. It's later Zuko"

Zuko lifted his gaze to Toph's face a few inches from his "thanks, Toph"

As he looked at her face he say a odd smile started to spread across her tired face. Once he had spoken he felt the laughter leave his body, without any warning. Toph lost her control on her locked emotions and let out a laugh too. Their laughter filled the area, it was deep and raw, not light-hearted and carefree. All the emotions they had been burying came out, in this manic laughter. All the pain, fear left them. As the laughter began to fayed, they struggled to get their breath back.

Ursa had left the two benders along, as she set up a bed for the night. The laughter had shocked her at first, as it had been so loud and came on all of a sudden, but the longer it went on for the more she felt the pain that was relished. Her heart broke for her son, and his friend.

Once she had regained control of her breathing and heart rate, Toph slowly got to her feet, almost knocking Zuko over, as he was still kneeing in front of her "I'm just going to bed. See you in the morning, I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do" she tried to make her voice sound as uninterested and teasing as she could, but no one believed it. Forcing herself to walk normally and not to limp, Toph made it a few feet away from the small tent that Ursa had finished putting up, and bent a earth tent.

Both Zuko and his mother watched her as she left, both worried that she might lose her footing. "She is right we do have a lot of catching up to do" Zuko turned to his left. Ursa was kneeling down looking poised and calm, in front of the tent.

He had so much he wanted to ask, so much he wanted to say. But he just couldn't he was physically and emotionally drained. He had nothing else to give at that monument.

"There is a lot…. I want to ask and tell you, but not here I'm so tired. And I don't want to have that conversation here"

Ursa was very proud of her son, he hadn't let his feeling get in his way, stop him from doing what had to be done, he didn't hid them, but he had control over them when he needed to "Your right why rush. We have the rest of our lives to talk" with that she got to her feet, walked towards him, pulled him into a strong embrace, he returned with as much strength. Kissed him on the cheek, under his scar. She didn't have to be told, she had a good idea how he had gained that scar. As one parent had inflicted it, the other had to take away the pain. That was her job now, to taking away the pain from her children.

"I love you my son, I missed you so much"

"I missed you to. Goodnight mom" he felt his throat close up he wanted to say I love you too but he just couldn't get the words out. He made is way, to sleep under a tree a few feet away, giving Toph and his mother some space, and himself.

Toph had not been able to sleep. She was only able to lie on her back, so her right arm didn't touch anything, and She had so much going around in her head. She also wanted to get some ointment for her burn, as it was starting to sting very badly. Her pride had already been hurt, by having to be caught as she almost feel off the basilisk lizard, she did not want to have them see her limping, so she would wait till they were asleep.

Toph had expected them to be up for a couple of hours talking, But was glad they had gone to bed so soon. She made her way over to the bottom of the tree next to her earth tent, where some plants where growing. Letting her self sink into the earth Toph rested under the tree, as she picked a few of the plants.

Toph had learned to tell the properties of a plant or flower, but she couldn't name them very well. She pulled out a small pouch from her pocket, that was filled with some chopped plant extracts. Adding these to the picked flowers she, started to mash them all together, with some bending to create enough speed to fuse all the plants together. Once it had turned into a paste Toph rubbed it into the burn, it stung a little. But that meant it was working.

" A herbalist too" Toph was sure the others where asleep. But here was Ursa awake. She cursed herself for focusing to much on making the paste.

It seemed to Toph that Ursa was talking more to herself than to her "not really, I can just make some ointments and things"

"there is no need to be modest, your mother would be so proud" there was a wistful tone to her voice now, she was talking to Toph, but her mind was think of something else.

"What are you talking about, my mother is only going to be proud of me, if I let her turn me into a living doll" there was so much distain in her voice. that it was so upsetting for Ursa to hear, From one so young. It also sadden her to hear that she had been lied to all this time.

"I am so sorry, that it was kept from you for so long" as she spoke she moved to sit under the tree next to Toph. Her movement was so graceful and poised, she reminded Toph of her mother, it made her feel uncomfortable.

"what has been kept from me, am I deaf too" her attempt to make a joke, feel on deaf ears. Toph was not surprised that her parents had kept something from her, but she was surprised that it seemed to be something very important to the fire nation princess.

"I am afraid that you were not told the truth about your parentage. Poppy Bei Fong is not your really mother" Toph felt she should be shocked, hurt, angry anything but she didn't, She was numb. She thought she had distanced herself from them, That they couldn't hurt her any more. Yet they were still trying to get to her, now she knew for sure, not matter what else Ursa told her, they were dead to her.

After she had spoken Ursa feel silent. Giving Toph a chance to come to take in what she had just told her, but there was no trace of any feeling on the young girls face, it was like she wore a mask. after the long silence she decided to go on.

"Your real mothers name was Adeline. You look just like her" Toph made no reaction to this, what did it matter to her.

"She and I were the same age. She was not an earthbender like your grandfather"

Toph stopped her, as far as she knew she had been the only earth bender in the family for a few generations, another lie her father had told her "is that another grandfather I haven't meat"

"yes, I'm afraid so. He was a great earthbender, you must have inherited that from him" again she paused, hoping to see any kind of reaction from Toph, but still none came "He was a sergeant in the earth kingdom army, until he died ten years ago. More important to him thou was that he was a member of the order of the white louts" for the first time a faint look of acknowledgment crossed the blind earth benders face. Everything that she had been told felt like a story, like it was to do with someone else not her. The mentioning of the white louts society made it seem connected to her finally, because of Iroh and Bumi.

"He trained your mother how to fight and use weapons, she also studied to be a herbalist. So when she was old enough she too could join the white louts"

" My mother and grandfather where in the order of the white louts" despite the look on her face, no emotion came out in her voice "Why didn't Iroh tell me" this was the first time any feeling showed and betrayed her, that she had feelings. The fact that she had been lied to by her father again, and Iroh, two people that she had always trusted to do what they thought was best for her. Everything her father had done for her, had all come from love, she know that, but know she didn't know anymore.

"He must have thought it was best not to tell you. There most have been so much going on at the time"

"Then why are you" the angry that Toph had been trying to suppress came out. Her jaded eyes left the floor, were they had been resting and meet Ursa's.

Ursa didn't seem to react to Toph's angry, or her sightless stare, She remained calm and answered her "I made a promise"

Toph wanted to ask what she was talking about, but she felt it best not to say anything more, in case she let her anger get the best of her, and she started to yell and woke Zuko up.

"I too was a member of the order, that is how I meat Iroh, then my husband. Your mother and I were good friends. We married at the same time. She was there when I was pregnant with Zuko and Azula. She wanted a child of her own very much" Ursa's instinct was to reach out to the young girl in front of her, but knew deep down that was not the best thing to do at the moment.

"As I and Iroh where part of the fire lords family. We where able to give information to the order that would aid us. There was a small select division of the army that had been given the job of bring down the order of the white louts. They were able to get information about one of our bases. It was the one in the southwest of the earth kingdom" she didn't have to say anymore, Toph knew what she meant. That was were her family estate was.

"At the time of the attack your mother was pregnant with you. So she was not there when the solders actually attacked, But many of her friends where. Once she received news of the attack she went to see what she could do to help. The members that had survived that attack, had made there way to a safe place, a cave in the mountains. There was a clearing, in front of the entrance, were a guard kept watch. the yu yan archers had been brought alone to assist the specially selected solders, and were watching from the trees, for them to leave the cave. Your mother arrived at the cave, the guard at the time was a close friend of hers Piandao. They didn't know they were being watched, so she and ran to meet him. The embraced once they reached each other, one of the archers took aim, he was aiming for your mothers back, But Piandao saw him, and lifted you mother up and swung her round. He intended to take the hit"

Toph had lifted her left hand, and was holding the jade pendent that was attached to the bracelet Aang had given her. Zuko had made sure that he had left it out of the sling, as he had noticed her habit of playing with it.

Ursa had done her best to kept her voice steady as she spoke. Everything she had just told Toph, she had been told after the event by Toph's grandfather. She could not imagine anything worse than having to tell Toph this, except him having to tell her.

The next part was going to be the hardest part "What he didn't see was that there was a soldier in the tree behind where he had been standing, taking aim as well. He sent a fire ball at the space your mother was being moved into. Doing this gave away the presence and location of the fire nation soldiers. They where pushed back, with little effort"

"it was him, the guard that attacked me…….he was the one that.."

"Yes…Your mother went into labour, not long after…… She died a few hours after you where born, from blood lose. I only made it there in time to saw goodbye"

Ursa couldn't go on, it was the first time she had told any one what happened that day. She had tried her best not to remember, but she had one constant reminder with her.

"What was the promise" despite what she had been told Toph's voice was even, calm and showed no sign of emotion, as she repeated her earlier question, that she had still not been given an answer to.

"Your mother left you two things to remember her, and who you are. Your name…"

"I thought my father gave me that" Toph was getting a little impatient, as her question was again unanswered.

"So you know what it means" Ursa was a little surprised that Toph had been told, or more likely learned for herself the meaning of her name "Supported louts" Toph nodded, as Ursa whispered the meaning of the name she had been given, for a reason yet unknown "to your father it may mean you are a delicate flower to be taken care of, but to your mother it meant, that you would one day join the order, and help support it and its goal, and this"

Ursa slowly pulled out a necklace from her pocket. It was a black string, with a silver pendent, that had a louts engraved into it. Taking hold of Toph's left hand in hers Ursa placed it in her hand.

"This was your mother much pursues procession. She gave it to me to give to you. That was my promise"

Toph moved her fingers over the pendent trying to see what was engraved on it.

"Piandao gave it to her didn't he"

Ursa's breath caught in her throat for a second. She was sure she hadn't said or done anything that would have given this fact away. There was defiantly very different about the young girl in-front of her, that looked so familiar to her.

"your mother did love your father, in her own way. She was true to him"

"She just wasn't in love with him" Toph spoke finishing Ursa's thought for her, as she knew that she wouldn't do it herself.

"Paindao gave her the necklace as a sign that even though they couldn't be together they loved each other" again Toph's face showed no sign of emotion. She was like stone. Ursa's heart went out to the girl. She had learned well to wear a mask.

"why was that guard trying to kill me, how did he know who I was, how did you. This is all a very big coincidence isn't it. Of all the people in the world to be here with Zuko, it was me" this was the question Ursa had been hoping she would not have to answer, But she had quickly learned that Toph was good at picking up on the small things. the things most people missed, And that lying to her would do no good.

"I don't know why he wanted to hurt you. I knew it was you because you look so like your mother, I think he knew it was because he never forgot her face. I thin it was fate that it was you that came with my son….. "

"fate!….you are saying that….all of this, there is a reason…."

"Please, Toph" her basic instincts as a mother took over, and she finally allowed her hand to reach out to Toph. She took Toph's left hand, that still held the necklace in her hands "I know this is hard, but you have to believe…."

Toph pulled her hand, and the necklace out of the older woman's hold "I believe you, I know that everything you have said…..was the truth" her eyes had now fallen to the ground in-front of her. If her eyes allowed her to see, then she would have been looking at the pendent on the necklace "I cant even be told a white lie" she had whispered this, it was more to herself than the women sitting before her.

"that must be hard for you"

Toph's head shut up to face the person in-front of her. No one had ever saw her ability to detect a lie, read a person as anything other than a gift, but there where times when she wished that she could bend a wall around that part of herself as well, so she didn't have to see everything so clearly in her own way. The best she could get to a wall, was to wear shoes, which she did a lot more recently.

Toph gripped the pendent tighter, all her willpower went into stopping the tears she felt building up from falling. When she was so close to letting the tears fall, she felt herself being pulled into a tight embrace by Ursa. For the first time in her life, Toph held the embrace tighter than the other person. once she was in Ursa's embrace she let the tears fall.

They stayed like that for a minute or so. Ursa started to pat Toph on the back of her head. This was how she used to hold her children, unfortunately it was also how on the odd occasion that Toph had been held by her stepmother, she had had held her too, Toph pulled away, in one fast move. She felt Ursa's heart sink a little, she felt guilty about telling her everything that she has, upsetting her.

The truth was Toph underneath it all was grateful, that some had finally been honest with her "thank you" that was all she said, but Ursa understood what she was really trying to say.

Pulling herself to her feet, forgetting the pain in her knee. She made her way back to her earth tent. Once inside she tied the necklace around her neck, as best as she with one hand. Than lied down, Thou she knew she would not sleep.

**I would just like to say that I am really disappointed by the lack of feedback. I don't think after the work that I put into the story, that it is asking to much to get a little feedback on the story, good or bad. As the story has been rewritten, I have had only two reviews. That is two reviews for seven chapters. I don't what to end up getting so worked up about this like I did the first time I posted the whole story, so that is it I give up. I am no longer going to ask questions, for any input from you readers on how you would like the story to go. So if there is a part of the story you don't like, a character that you would like to be in the story more, then sorry but tough. I have given every opportunity for you to have your say and input in the story, and no one has chosen to use that. So the story is just going to go the way I would like it to. If you have anything you would like to say good or bad about the story then let me know, but I probably wont listen to it as much as I would have done. **


	9. Chapter 9

Toph didn't sleep that night, So again she was the first one to wake in the morning. She pulled down the earth tent, and walked into the woods. Like she had done the day before, To keep her mind focused she practiced her bending.

She didn't connect with the earth, or grass. She just went through the movements, at a much slower pace. It was her form of relaxing, Aang had mediation, Katara had yoga and Zuko had letting of steam, laterally she thought. This was just her way, It helped to clear her mind to an extent, but she felt the weight of the necklace around her neck. It was a constant reminder of what she was trying to forget. Yet she couldn't take it off, she never would.

Her right arm remained bound in the sling, as a result her balance was off a little. She moved to lunge forward, with her left hand out in-front of her. Her right arm normally would have been out in-front, and her left bent slightly at her elbow raised a little, giving her balance. Toph was just able to catch herself before she feel over on her right side. Frustrating was building up inside the young bender, she wanted to yell, scram crush something, but knew she couldn't do that with Zuko, and his mother still with her.

Once she felt the mother and son waking, she made her way back to the camp. Just before she emerged from the trees, she took in a deep breath, and forced a slight smile on her face "So are you ready to go then" her tone of voice came out as forced.

No one said anything, as they packed up, and prepared to leave. It was clear to Zuko that Toph had something on her mind, and he worried that she was planning something, but he didn't know what, at least he hoped he didn't.

Ursa was the first to mount one of the basilisk lizards. Zuko moved to Toph how was finishing replacing her things in the pack she had attached to the saddle. When he was next to her he saw that she was detaching the pack from the saddle.

"You're not coming back with us" Zuko had just assumed, she would return with them. He hadn't seen his friends in a long time, and the time he had spent with Toph hadn't been what you would call fun. Iroh was due to be returning from Ba Sing Sa soon, he could even be back now, he was sure Toph would have wanted to catch up with him, before she returned to the earth kingdom.

"I have work to do…back in the earth kingdom, but I will be back soon. Iroh still feels he has to beat me at Pa Sho at lest ten times in a row to get his title back" she was trying to make a joke, to show she was fine. He knew her better than that, a lot better.

He took hold of her good arm, pulling her a few feet away to the edge of the trees "Your going back there" she tried to pull away, but he just held her arm tighter "I heard. I'm sorry" his voice was low, directed just at her "You can't go back there. You are better than that"

"Maybe you, Katara…… and Aang are, but I'm not" with that she finally pulled her arm away from him.

"Toph you cant go back there, your arm is still….."

"Its fine, I can take care of it" Toph was very close to really lashing out at him, and she could tell he was getting annoyed with her to.

Lowering his eyes to the ground, Zuko made the only choice he thought he could make "fine! Then I'm coming with you"

Toph let out a sigh as she calmed herself down, so that she could reason with him "Zuko, you have your mother over there, Iroh and Mai will be waiting for you to get back….you have more important things to do"

She may have been able to calmer herself, but Zuko hadn't "there is no way I'm letting you go back there! Deep down you know that its the wrong thing to do, you are just letting your anger get the better of you"

Zuko's words unfortunately had only cause Toph's anger to grow again" and you have never let your anger get the better of you….like the time you…" she didn't go on, she was just able to stop herself from saying something she would regret later, but she wasn't going to let this lie "what about Katara! You helped her track down the guy that killed her mother…what did you think she was going to do….

"she didn't thou did she…this is different"

"yeah, this is different. She needed your help, I don't" There was nothing else Zuko could think to say, there was nothing that was ever going to change Toph's mind "its also different, cause your not really worried, about me getting hurt. You are worried about, what I'm going to do, when I get back there" her voice was no lower, all the anger seemed to have left her voice, replacing it with disappointment.

"Toph, I couldn't have done this without you, you are already hurt….of course I'm worried about you. I want you to come back, with us" the tone of his voice was so pleading, and sincere, she almost lost her resolve.

"no" the only thought in her head now was to get rid of Zuko as fast as possible, and if she had to hit below the belt, then that was just what she would have to do "i heard all about what you did, beofre you joined us. so dont you dare try to take the moral high ground with me" she felt his heart sink, and realised that she had crossed the line, the last thing she wanted to do was lose, who she thought of as maybe her best friend, but she had to get away from him now. that didnt mean she wanted to part like this "you were always better than that, thats why you joined us......so if you let me drag you back down to that leavel, then i will kill you too, i swear!.......i dont ever want to you to go back to that" despite herself, the last part came out with real pain in her voice.

Toph started to walk away, away from Zuko, from Ursa and the basilisk lizards. All Zuko could do was watch her go.

Just as he was about to turn to leave, Toph stopped and turned to him "if this hadn't happened…..I would have stayed with you all, for as long as I could" some how this made the fire nation princes want to shed a tear. She shouldn't have to go through this, after all they had all been through already, it wasn't fair.

As she grow closer to the fort again, she stopped to take care of her arm, she wanted to be able to dish out as much pain as was possible.

Sitting under a tree her mind started to wonder to thoughts of her family. She thought that she was really glad that she wasn't really their daughter, That there were people in it that she would have liked, that would have understood her. She had always worried that people take after their parents. Zuko was defiantly his mother's son, Azula was her father's daughter. Sokka and his father where so alike, and from what she knew Katara was like her mother. This fact had scared her, she hated the idea that she could be anything like her parents, she no longer had to fear this fact. After everything they had done, keeping her a secret, trying to kidnap her and finally disowning her, when she didn't do as she was told, a small part of her, still felt connected to them. This had broken that for good, and she was glad. She was really free. And she knew what she had to do next.

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**I hope you liked this new chapter. What Toph dose do next is not going to be written in this part of the story, it will be done in flashback in another part of the story, and how she is going to take care of her arm will ago come up in part 4 I think it is. The next chapter will deal with Zuko and Ursa retuning to the capital. **


	10. Chapter 10

There was a cool breeze that blow over the boat. In was welcomed as the sun was at its height. The decks of the ferry where full of people, of all ages, genders, and nations. Zuko inwardly smiled at this. It was the first real sign that he had seen that, the world was now truly heading towards peace.

"It is very beautiful isn't it" Ursa said. It was the first thing ether of them had said in ten minutes. Small talk was still all they could mange.

"Yes it is" he was starting to get tired of the small talk. They had to really talk at some point, and now was as good a time as any. There was so much more he wanted to ask her now. "Why did you leave. I think I know most of what happened, but I just what to here it from you" as the words came out of his mouth he left weight leavening his body. Ursa had been expecting this, she just hadn't expected him to come out with it like this.

"You heard me speak to Toph last night" he nodded "So you know that I was also a member of the order of the white louts. Your grandfather also found this out "Zuko had never heard Azulon being referred to as his grand father, something like that would make him seem more human "I was able to keep Iroh out of it, by openly confessing, and swearing that I was the only fire nation member of the order. He believed me, But he wasn't going to leave it at that, he wanted to punish me. He ordered your father to kill you"

"I thought that he was had to kill me because he tried to take Irohs place as the next fire lord" Ursa was shocked that Zuko was so aware of everything that had happened. It upset her so much to know that her son had been throw so much pain, and that she had not been there to help him, protect him. The way he was able to talk about this so easily, like it didn't matter scared her.

"That was the cover, so that if any of the court found out they would not see how truly ruthless he was. The only way to save you was to kill the fire lord first" Ursa let her gave full to the wooden deck at her feet "I am not proud of what I have done, but I would do it again"

Zuko saw the tears form in his mothers eyes. He took her hand "I have done something's I am not proud of ether" a faint smile crossed the fire nation princess face, as she slow wrapped her arms around her grown son. She was truly proud of him.

"To save me, your father had me sent away. Kept me under guard, so I would not be able to come back and see you or your sister" as she said this she could feel Zuko tenses up, in her arms.

"I am sorry. I don't know where she is….. or even if she is alive" Zuko clung on more tightly as he spoke.

"Don't, your father and your sister were never the kind of people you could reason with. What happened was not your fault. You did not lead ether of them to be the paths they took, they made those choices themselves" her right hand had moved to the back of his neck, where she gently stocked him, as her words comforted him too.

They fell into silence, a comfortable one. till Ursa slowly pulled away, as she did she placed her left hand under Zuko's scar "what did he do"

Zuko didn't know how she knew who had given him his scar, bur it seem to him to make sense that she did " I disagreed with him"

That was all he was going to say about it. A pat of him didn't want his mother to know anything about that, or what he had been through, he was worried that if she knew then she would blame herself for it all, because she wasn't there, then maybe she would leave him again.

Again as if she was reading his mind " I am not going to leave you, like that again"

Not long after their conversation the boat had docked in at the port of the fire nation capital. A carriage was their waiting for them, to bring them to the palace. Iroh had returned late the day before, and had, had a carriage waiting at the dock until either they returned by ferry, or some other way.

He had known this day would come at some point, but he never let himself hope for it to much. Zuko had been through so much, and was only now really starting to have the kind of like that Iroh felt he had deserved all along, he didn't want him to be disappointed, and hurt again. Toph joining him on his journey had worried him when he first head about it. Again he all ways knew that the day would finally come that she would find out about her mother, but he still worried how she would take it. He knew she was strong enough to cope with it, it was the fact that he had known and kept it from her that worried her. She he learned had a very quick temper, and he worried that her anger towards him would stop her from being around Zuko. Since the end of the war Toph had been to the fire nation more than any one else from the group, Zuko enjoyed having one of his closest friends, friends that understood him, and what he had been through, as they had all gone through it together. If she stopped coming to visit use of him, then he would feel tremendous guilt. His choice not to tell her, to let Ursa be the one to tell her, he still stuck by however.

Once the palace came into view Zuko saw a welcoming party waiting for them, it wasn't as big as the one they had all received when they returned after the war, but the feeling he had of being accepted was greater now, than it had been then.

As soon as the carriage stopped, Zuko trough open the door and ran to meet Mai. He hugged her, which he was glad she let him do. He had been worried she would still be mad at him. Iroh and Ursa hugged each other, not caring that it was not the formal way to greet each other.

"Mai I would like you to meet my mother" Zuko said with more pride than he thought possible.

"It is very nice to finally meet you" Mai said as she bowed to the fire nation princess.

"It is nice to meet you too, but there is no need to bow for me"

"Yes we are all family here, now let us going inside for some tea" Iroh felt the need to step in, to get everyone inside, so they could really talk. He had noticed that Toph was not with them. For a split second he thought that his fear of her reaction had been right, and she was avoiding him out of anger, but then it hit him, he had never thought to think about her waiting to take revenge for what had happened to her mother. He cursed himself for having forgotten such a basic human impulse as revenge, he knew that she was better than that, but she was still so young to deal with that, he was seeing her that way he knew that she could be, would be.

As they walked into the palace, Iroh found the opportunity to get a word with Zuko, without the others hearing "I heard that the Toph had gone with you, where is she now" the look on Zuko face, before he was able to but on a act, made him regret asking so soon.

"She's fine. She just had to go back to the earth kingdom……She was a big help. I couldn't have done it without her" after he spoke he ran on ahead to catch up with the others. He was trying really hard not to think about what Toph might be doing at this very moment. He had to trust her to make the right choice.

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**So that is it, this part of the story is done. I hope that you did like it. I will maybe start working on rewriting part three this week. It is one of the parts that I feel needs the most work, so I will be adding a lot to it, if I do work on it. So keep a eye out for it where do we go from here 3: shore. I would say not go looking for it now, it is not very good, wait till I am rewriting it, thanks. I don't know why I am bothering to say this, as I don't think things will change now, but I would still like to know what you think about the story, so please Review of pm me. Thanks, bye. **


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